Unzip the folder, take all the files and copy them to the same
directory in which you installed the game. I reiterate that I
am
an amateur programmer and my code leaves something to be desired.
It is also uncommented. But I really would
appreciate if
programmers could find ways to improve it. I would be
particularly appreciative if someone could figure out how to make a
real SAVE feature for the game which would eliminate the frustrating
mission codes.

Story:

I started thinking about writing a
Star Trek computer game when I was only about 9 years old.A big fan of the adventure genre, then in its heyday, I
sought to
recreate the world of Captain Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise in the
style of
Interplay’s two legendary games: Star Trek: 25th
Anniversary (1992) and
Star Trek: Judgment Rites (1993).Those
games,
made by the visionary software developer whose sorry remains are
currently strewn across someone's garage, captured the world of Star
Trek
in a way that no other computer games have come close.Let me explain.

Star Trek is a character
drama driven by plot but imbued
with social relevance and deeper meaning.It tells nearly clichéd tales of men and women
who discover new life and
new civilizations and boldly go where no one has gone before.Yet as they journey across
this
vast universe of wonder and techno-babble, we that watch are on a quest
to
discover more about ourselves, the society in which we live, and the
foibles
and follies that divide and yet ultimately unite us as the human race.The camaraderie of Kirk,
Spock, and McCoy
and their unflinching devotion to principle teach us about friendship
and
duty.As Data
grapples with sentience,
we wonder what it truly means to be human.Gene Roddenberry never feared to speak about contemporary
issues, such
as Civil Rights or the Vietnam War.Under the guise of the future, Star Trek, in all its
incarnations, always
reflected the turbulent present.

The adventure game is
unlike any other genre of computer
game.It roots go
back to the 1970’s
with Colossal Cave Adventure and Zork, games that revolutionized
computer leisure.Adventure
games at their best, like a good
book, focus on characters, tell an engaging story, and hopefully supply
a
meaningful lesson.They
also involve the
gamer in tests of mental fortitude and logic.Action, simulation, strategy, and RPG games
can be clever, addictive, exciting, and novel, but by their very nature
they
lack the sophistication, creativity, imagination, and edification of
the adventure
game.

Interplay’s
original Star Trek games were adventure games.You played Captain Kirk, controlled his crew,
solved puzzles, and unraveled mysteries, which is the core of Star
Trek. Most of the TV
episodes focused the
interaction between Kirk and crew, as well as their discoveries, their
difficulties, and their quest for knowledge.There was action—pitched space battles, stun
phasers, etc.,
but that was never the focus of the show.25th Anniversary and Judgment
Rites, as well as Star Trek: A
Final Unity for the Next Generation, portrayed Star Trek properly,
allowing the
player to faithfully reenact the same kind of missions that would have
taken
place on the TV series.I
have little
doubt that Interplay’s ill-fated Secret of Vulcan Fury would
have done the
same, but its untimely cancellation in 1999 dashed many hopes.

The games that followed
these three were Star Trek in form,
but never in content.There
were simulation
games like StarFleet Academy and StarFleet Command; first-person
shooters like
Elite Force and Klingon Honor Guard; strategy games like Birth of the
Federation and New Worlds, but
the plot,
characters, sophistication, and creativity of the TV series were lost
on uninspired
developers who wrote shoddy pageants showcasing over-accelerated
graphics and firepower.These
games were about torpedoes and
hand-phasers, not about Star Trek.Gamers
have complained that many of the new games, most recently Star Trek:
Legacy,
have promised much but failed to live up to expectations.

Spurred by the
disappointment due to the cancellation of
Secret of Vulcan Fury, I began work on my game in earnest in 2001 when
I
purchased a copy of Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Learning Edition, and
have been
working on it inconsistently for the past six years.Now it is finally done.

Star Trek: the Continuing
Voyage seeks to return Star Trek
gaming to its core values and rightful place.It
is a traditional point and
click adventure game in which you play Captain Kirk and also control
the rest
of the crew.The
puzzles are standard
adventure fare; the story is compelling, and the dialogue faithful to
what you
would expect from Kirk and crew.You will explore, solve puzzles, and
interact with other
characters.In
this sense, it is
a worthy sequel to 25th Anniversary, Judgment
Rites, and A Final
Unity.I believe
that I have gone even
further, as the story in my game is much more engaging and expansive.

I
am really a very amateur programmer.
I am using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, and I am somewhat constrained by
my own
limited knowledge of programming. I am also not a graphic artist by any
means,
so all of my graphics are borrowed from other Trek games or Trek venues
on the
web. Although this
might sound
ridiculous, it actually looks decent.However, it is almost all still graphics, without
animation.But try
it—you may be pleasantly surprised
nonetheless.

The game takes place on the
Enterprise and in other
locales. It begins
with a routine
diplomatic ceremony to admit a peaceful planet to the Federation. But when dissidents disrupt
the ceremony, and
you uncover a strange artifact from a distant past, Kirk and crew are
thrown
into a deepening mystery that threatens the integrity of the galaxy.The
plot progresses over
the course of eight full-length missions. In your travels you will
uncover and explore
a forgotten alien prison, a Romulan flagship, an abandoned dilithium
mine, a
Federation starbase, and much more.

Most
importantly, The Continuing Voyage
is a work of vision, vibrancy and imagination that hopes to liberate
Star Trek
gaming from the doldrums of insipid space combat and hand phasers.And it is just the
beginning.I
acknowledge the failings of my game,
particularly in the technical sense, and I urge others to continue
where I left
off by improving the graphics, adding a real “save”
feature, or even improving the
puzzles.All of my
source files are packaged with the install file for easy editing by
others who have Visual Basic 6.0.I hope that others will see the
value of my work, continue to improve it, and be inspired to write
their own
games true to the name Star Trek.Let
the voyage continue!